Back when I first started learning English, I just naturally assumed the "au" was pronounced the same way as in "taunt" or "flaunt" but I've never heard it actually said that way...

Where did you learn English? Because the pronunciation of "aunt" varies depending on where you are.

In the US, in New England, a lot of people do pronounce it with the same sound as "taunt" instead of "ant." Especially in the Greater Boston area, there are many similarities in speech with the English spoken in parts of the UK.

I was recently watching a TV show (can't remember off hand what it was) and most of the actors were saying "ant," but one or two were "aunt" all the way. It struck me as odd, because all the characters were supposed to be members of the same family. And you'd think they would all learn the same pronunciation.

I actually switch back and forth - "Ant Amy" but "Aunt Sarah." Sometimes I'll switch even for the same name. Not sure why, but every time I try to figure it out it's like trying to figure out how fast you're breathing - once you think about it, you can't do it "naturally" anymore!

My son asked this, and it wasn't such a "stupid" question, in my opinion:

On Gilligan's Island, why did Skipper, Gilligan and the Professor always wear the same clothes, while the others had many clothes (for a three-hour tour?)? They aren't really uniforms, after all. (Sorry if that's too flip a question for the board).

Oh, but I think that Skipper and Gilligan's clothes were uniforms. Not naval uniforms, but the uniform of the tour company that they worked for. So I think this is a perfect explanation for them.

Professor? I bet he went on the 3 hour tour straight from work, probably to do some sort of scientific study while on board. If you remember on some episodes the Professor did wear a lab coat and safety goggles. So you can say that he was wearing his work uniform, too.

My son asked this, and it wasn't such a "stupid" question, in my opinion:

On Gilligan's Island, why did Skipper, Gilligan and the Professor always wear the same clothes, while the others had many clothes (for a three-hour tour?)? They aren't really uniforms, after all. (Sorry if that's too flip a question for the board).

Oh, but I think that Skipper and Gilligan's clothes were uniforms. Not naval uniforms, but the uniform of the tour company that they worked for. So I think this is a perfect explanation for them.

Professor? I bet he went on the 3 hour tour straight from work, probably to do some sort of scientific study while on board. If you remember on some episodes the Professor did wear a lab coat and safety goggles. So you can say that he was wearing his work uniform, too.

How's that? Believable enough for your son?

And in earlier episodes, they showed Ginger and Maryann making new clothes out of sails and stuff like that. It was only later that they just had huge wardrobes.

Where did you learn English? Because the pronunciation of "aunt" varies depending on where you are.

It's less of a where than a who, actually. I'm from Germany, but my mom is an English teacher and her best friend at the time I went to elementary school was from London (and often lent me the English Disney VHS tapes she got for her kids, which is how I got started learning the language), both of them spoke English with British accents. My teachers at school, however, leaned more towards "generic" American English. So I grew up with a wild variety of pronunciations. That's also why my accent when I speak English is pretty noticeable, but not the stereotypical German one (people who only heard my voice have guessed that I might be Russian or, which still puzzles me a bit, Indian).

I believe the first time I heard the word aunt was in the movie "The Rescuers" where the villain in one scene refers to herself as "auntie Medusa" and if I'm not mistaken, she actually pronounced it "awn-tee". But in every media or any conversation I've had since with English speaking people it was pronounced like the animal "ant"...

The things that run through my head at 11:20 at night, let me tell you...

Perhaps someone of medical leaning can help me out with this. So the spine is divided into several sections. Sacral, lumbar, thoracic, and cervical. Why is it that the cervical spine is the highest, and yet the cervix is down near the bottom of the spine? Aren't those words related somehow?

The things that run through my head at 11:20 at night, let me tell you...

Perhaps someone of medical leaning can help me out with this. So the spine is divided into several sections. Sacral, lumbar, thoracic, and cervical. Why is it that the cervical spine is the highest, and yet the cervix is down near the bottom of the spine? Aren't those words related somehow?

oh oh oh! I know this! Cervix means neck. So cervical vertebrae are in the neck. The cervix is the "neck" of the uterus.

Where did you learn English? Because the pronunciation of "aunt" varies depending on where you are.

It's less of a where than a who, actually. I'm from Germany, but my mom is an English teacher and her best friend at the time I went to elementary school was from London (and often lent me the English Disney VHS tapes she got for her kids, which is how I got started learning the language), both of them spoke English with British accents. My teachers at school, however, leaned more towards "generic" American English. So I grew up with a wild variety of pronunciations. That's also why my accent when I speak English is pretty noticeable, but not the stereotypical German one (people who only heard my voice have guessed that I might be Russian or, which still puzzles me a bit, Indian).

I believe the first time I heard the word aunt was in the movie "The Rescuers" where the villain in one scene refers to herself as "auntie Medusa" and if I'm not mistaken, she actually pronounced it "awn-tee". But in every media or any conversation I've had since with English speaking people it was pronounced like the animal "ant"...

Sounds a bit like me learning German. We lived in Germany when I was very small and I learned a bit of German, with southern German accent/pronunciation. Then in high school and college I had one teacher with a southern pronunciation and two with northern German pronunciations and I got all mixed up on how to pronounce some words.

In general, most Americans say "ant."

I have one set of nieces and nephews who have a dad who says "ahnt" and a mom who says "ant." The oldest child picked up on that at a very young age, and insisted that his dad's sisters be "ahnts" and his mom's sisters were "ants." The kids call us all by the correct pronunciation--it's the adults who get all confused.